Beneath the Policies
Interestingly enough, I just wrote my essay on the American Dream's ever-changing nature throughout history and how presidential candidates were a reflection of the importance of it. So I had to read the chapter titled "The Politics of the American Dream, 1980 to 2008" by Michael C. Kimmage in The American Dream in the 21st Century, as it really related to the essay I just wrote. Kimmage's main claim in the chapter is that "[t]he political party in closer touch with the American Dream is more likely to acquire and to hold on to power" (28). And after reading the chapter... heck yeah, it totally makes sense. Kimmage analyzed many elections from the past, going as far back as the 1930s, where Roosevelt was elected. Not only did Roosevelt embody the American Dream in terms of how he "contracted polio and persevered" (29), but he was extremely optimistic. His optimism was key to his success, and Kimmage maintains that remaining optimis